Over time, commercial and residential hard-surfaced floors, such as hardwood floors, can begin to exhibit wear. For example, in high traffic or frequently used areas, the hard-surfaced floor may begin to exhibit a dull or faded appearance. Additionally, the hard-surfaced floor may become scratched. When the hard-surfaced floor is scratched, an indentation is created in a top surface of the hard-surfaced floor. The scratch may be formed solely in the topcoat on the top surface of the hard-surfaced floor or may extend through the topcoat of the hard-surfaced floor and into a base of the hard-surfaced floor. Depending on the depth and type of scratch, the scratch may even exhibit a substantially white color. Since most hard-surfaced floors are substantially dark in color, these types of scratches thereby produce substantially noticeable marks in the hard-surfaced floor.
If areas of the hard-surfaced floor begin to exhibit wear, in order to reduce the dull, faded, and/or scratched appearance of these areas, a coating known as a spray buff can be applied to the hard-surfaced floor. The spray buff is essentially a substantially clear liquid acrylic that is buffed onto the areas of the hard-surfaced floor in need of reconditioning. The spray buff increases the gloss level of the hard-surfaced floor thereby reducing the dull and/or faded appearance of the hard-surfaced floor. Additionally, as the spray buff is buffed onto the hard-surfaced floor, the spray buff is urged into the scratches to reduce the indentations in the hard-surfaced floor. However, since the spray buff is clear, the spray buff is incapable of significantly reducing the appearance of the scratches in the hard-surfaced floor, particularly if the scratches are substantially white in color.
Alternatively, the entire hard-surfaced floor could be refinished using a coating known as a keycoat or tiecoat. The tiecoat is substantially clear and comprises water and an acrylic polymer. In order to refinish the hard-surfaced floor using the tiecoat, the entire hard-surfaced floor must first be cleaned with an intensive floor cleaner. The hard-surfaced floor is then rinsed, and a floor cleaner is applied to the hard-surfaced floor. After the hard-surfaced floor dries, the tiecoat is applied to the hard-surfaced floor. As the tiecoat is applied to the hard-surfaced floor, the tiecoat is urged into the scratches to reduce the indentations in the hard-surfaced floor. A finishing coat or new topcoat is then applied to a top surface of the tiecoat to give the hard-surfaced floor a glossy appearance. The tiecoat thereby essentially adheres the finishing coat to the topcoat on the top surface of the hard-surfaced floor. However, the tiecoat may not effectively adhere the finishing coat to the topcoat in instances where the topcoat is cross-linked, densely cross-linked, or radiation cross-linked. Additionally, since the tiecoat is substantially clear, the tiecoat is incapable of significantly reducing the appearance of the scratches in the hard-surfaced floor, particularly if the scratches are substantially white in color.